Aircraft power generating system



June 2, 1931. A. SERRIADYES 1,808,439

AIRCRAFT POWER GENERATING SYSTEM Filed Sept. 19, 1927 4 5 SECONDARY GTE 7M C0557 Q INVENTOR 62/4. SEADRMDES ATTORNEY Patented June 1931 .f umrso STAT My invention relates to improvements in aircraft power generating systems, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and I claimed. r Y

An object of the invention is to provide a system, by means of which power may be generated for aircraft without the necessity of burdening the aircraft with a con- S1 erable weight of fuel, such as that of the ordinary gasohne. v

A further objectis to provide a system of generating power inwhich-liquid h drogenis vaporized and in which a motive uid, such as steam, is condensed by the transfer of heat from the steam to the h dro'gen in the act of vaporizing the latter,t usconserving the water necessary to provide the steam. I

A further object isto rovide a-s stem in which the troubles inc'ih motors will be eliminated. A further object is to provide a ower system which is not subjectto the isadvantages such as loss of power at high altitudes that are inherent in gasoline motors.

A further object is to provide a power p system in which liquid hydrogen is used, the

the-thermal value 0 gasoline and thusconstituting a, load of one third 'ofithe equivalent amount of gasoline or being capable of propelling ;:the aircraft three times as forming part of this apof an aircraft of any suitable type and which p for containi'n ent to exp osive.

' connecte hydrogen having approximately three tlmes the figure is a diagramthe general arrangeis I preferably provided with steam turbines for pro llin the aircraft. "In the drawing, I ave s own' a boilerat 1 which is connected with a primary turbine 2,;the latter being connected with aiseconda'ry steam 5 chest .3 which is in *turn connected with'a secondary turbine 4. At 5; I have'indicated diagrammatically a condenser.- condenser is connected. l with the boiler by a, return pipe 6 u q d'ihyd g at whieh' y be q fied by any approv "process, is'contained in the vessel '7 whi" is preferably a so-m called De War' vessel of a well known type peratures. his vessel is connected. by means of a ipe 8 with a coil 9 in the condenser v5. he opposite 'end of this coil is connected by the pipe 10-with a burner 11- underneath the boiler 1; as The uplper portion of the De War vessel is by a. ipe 12 with a storage tank 13 for gaseous ydrogen, and this tank 13 communicates by means of a pi .14 with the burner 11. and 16 are provided, as shown.

From the foregoing description ofthe variolis parts of the device, the operation thereofmay be readily understood. The fluid,

such as water, mercury, onother motive fluid,

is placed in the boiler 1 and the'liquid-hydrogen in the receptacle 7. The hydrogen ten s to vaporize or and passesby means of a pipe into th 13and may be admitted from the pipe 14 tothe burner 11 which may befof any suitable type and where the gaseous h drogen is burned to heat the boiler 1'." The. swam generated in the boiler passes through the primary turbine'2, secondary steam chest 3.. and the secondary turbine '4, which of; course have connections, not shown, with the shaft 17 that drives the propeller '18.. The steam passes on' from the turbine 4 into thecondenser 5 and here it is condensed by giving lique ed gasesua t low ter'ngo Suitable contro valves 15 7o ofi its heat to the liquid hydrogen which may be drawn from the receptacle 7 through the pipe 8. The hydrogen is thereby vaporized and may-be passed by the pipe 10 to the burner 11 for heating the boiler. The condensed liquid from the condenser 5 is re-' turned by the pipe 6 to the boiler to be again vaporized and to be used as motive fluid.

It will be seen that the liquid hydro en serves a double function; namely, as a ml for heating the motive fluid, and as a refrigerating medium or condensing medium. Since hydrogen has three times the thermal value of the same weight of asoline, it will be apparent that the wei t which it is necessary to carry for a ght of a given distance is one-t ird of that of gasoline. One pound of gasoline contains 18,000 B. t. u. and a pound of hydrogen will contain a minimum of 53000 B. t. u. The above B. t. u. ratio will dei ine specifically what I mean by the hydrogen ipossessing three times the thermodynamic e ciency of the same weight of gasoline.

Internal combustion engines are unreliable as compared with a device such as a steam turbine. There are many factors that cause this unreliability, such as failure in ignition, loss of power in high altitudes, sticking valves, etc. In the present instance, the arrangement is simplified, since the hydrogenis merely burned and the steam or other va or generated by the heat of the burning ydrogen operates directly on the turbine to rovide the motive power. The intense col of liquid hydrogen renders it particularly eflicient as a condensing medium, thereby reducing the size of the condenser and consequently its weight.

While I have mentioned a steam turbine as being aneflective means for use with aircraft, this is by way of illustration only, since it is obvious that other forms ofmotors might be used without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention.

A suitable pump 20 maybe associated with the pipe 6 for feeding condensate from Y the condenser .to the boiler. While I have shown a rotary pump, any one of the types of pumps common 1n. the art may be employed.

I claim:

1. A power generating stem for aircraft com rising a motor, a boi or for vaporizing liquld to'drive the motor, a condenser for condensing the exhaust vapor from the motor, a source of liquid hydrogen, means within the condenser for subjecting the liquid hydrogen to the heat of the exhaust vapor, whereby the hydrogen is vaporized and the exhaust vapor is condensed to liquid form, and means for conveying the vaporized hydrogen to the burner.

2. A power generating system for aircraft comprising a motor, a boiler for vaporizing liquid to drive the motor, a condenser for condensing the exhaust vapor from the motor, a. source of liquid within the condenser for su ectm the liq- I uid hydrogen to the heat ofthe ex aust vapor, hereby the hydrogen is-vaporized and the exhaust vapor is condensed to liquid form, means for returning the condensed liquid to the boiler, and means for conveying the va orized h dro en to the burner.

CON TANTI E SEBRIADES;

drogen, means 

